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, says that he feels he is only “collaborating” with the Malayalam star and “not directing him” in the movie, which will focus on YSR’s epochal three-month-long padayatra in 2003 as part of his election campaign.

On working with the actor, the filmmaker says, “It has been phenomenal. I don’t think there’s anything new that I can add to what he brings to the table. I was thinking of making the character louder and more dramatic but Mammootty sir wanted to stay true to the real-life persona of

. The credit to his interpretation of the character goes entirely to him. We have taken the middle path where I tell him my vision and he does the rest.”

The actor has in fact done his own research on the former chief minister, and studied the various mannerisms of YSR, once apprised of the script, says Mahi. “We are not trying to mimic YSR as such. Sure, there will be glimpses of the man in terms of how he waved or walked. But apart from these, it’s an interpretation of the character that Mammootty sir will showcase,” he explains.

While the megastar has acted in Telugu before, this movie comes with its set of challenges, which Mammootty is taking on, says the director. “Mammootty sir has done everything; I don’t know what else is left for him to do in his career. But he still writes all his Telugu lines in Malayalam and tries to understand the meaning of every word. He also puts in the effort to dub it right because YSR spoke authentic Telugu, which is not easy to dub at all. Even if a bit of pronunciation goes wrong, it would draw flak from the audience and Mammootty sir gets that,” says Mahi, who had previously directed the Taapsee Pannu-starrer Anando Brahma.

But why cast a Malayalam actor as YSR? “I grew up in Chennai and Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh. I am familiar with Malayalam movies as I have watched a lot of them. Mammootty sir has an aura that is unmatched. The sheer enigma when he is moving around on the sets or just sitting and talking is something unique. Moreover, as an actor, he makes my job easier,” says Mahi.

Currently, the team has finished shooting for almost 30% of the film, and Mammootty seems bent on making a mark in his Telugu comeback after 20 years. The director says, “He has his own benchmark. There are takes which I think are fine but he believes he can do better. I think he has his own sense of judgment as to how a scene would look and if it can be improved. In a way, he ensures he gets it right more than me.”